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12 things you Should never compost

Vegetable gardening is greatly enhanced with adding organic matter formed by composting. I recently wrote an article which talked about a long list of weird things that you can compost which you might not think about. Today, I am doing to discuss those things you should never compost.

If you enjoy vegetable gardening, you will know how much better your vegetables will grow if you add compost around them. The organic matter nourishes both the soil and the plant, resulting in healthy plants and high yields.

Even though recycling and composting are 2 very important green practices to follow, there are definitely some items that are bad for the environment and should be avoided.

Never Compost these 12 items.

There are lots of common and not so common items that can be composted. Fortunately the list of items that you should NOT add to the compost pile is not too long and makes quite a bit of sense. For best results do not compost these items:

Pet waste from carnivorous animals. Manure is fine but pet feces from dogs and cats is a definite no no. Your cat or dog feces can introduce parasites, which is the last thing you want to be adding to any garden meant for human consumption.

Meat scraps and bones. Most kitchen refuse if fine for the compost pile, but you will want to avoid any left over meat and bones, which can attract vermin. Adding these also would make for a very foul smelling compost pile.

Grease and oil. Does not break down and can coat materials in the pile. Also attracts pests.

Diseased plants and weeds with seeds. Throw these in the trash or you risk transferring fungal or bacterial problems to plants you treat with the finished compost.

Chemically treated wood, since the chemicals might leach into the compost.

Milk products are attractive to vermin so should be avoided.

Glossy paper. This is better off recycled instead of composted.

Sawdust. I know this is tempting but unless you know for sure that the wood was not treated with chemicals, avoid using it on the compost pile.

Walnut shells. These contain juglone, which is a natural aromatic compound toxic to some plants.

This goes without saying but aerosols, chemicals, batteries and other materials like this are a big no no.

I think I would be careful about composting horse radish roots. They really can be very invasive and if the temp on your compost pile does not get hot enough to kill them, you could end up with it all over the garden if you spread the compost. Carol

Hi Alvin. My research shows me that the feeling on this is mixed. Some say it is fine and others advise not to use it. I would be careful of adding anything to compost (Unless you can be 100% sure the heat of the pile gets high enough) that is harmful in the garden normally.
Carol

to be honest, Donna. I am not sure. I would think it would depend on the heat of the compost pile and whether you will be using the compost on vegetables instead of ornamental plants. I try to play it safe on compost that I will be using near veggies.

I put meat and dairy in my compost all the time, as well as bacon grease, and I have never had an issue with vermin of any sort…not even my dog;) If it’s summer, it’s good and hot and cooks down in nothing flat, in winter the freezing process seems to break it down rather quickly as well. In the spring and fall I usually add some enzymes to move things a little quicker, but not always. If you have a good layer of leaves or grass clippings on top there will be no smell. It’s really important to remember that a good, non smelly, compost cooks, it doesn’t rot.

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Hi! I am Carol and I love to garden and cook (with a bit of DIY thrown in for fun.)
I come from a long line of gardeners and have always loved to experiment with food and recipes.
Join me as I cook and garden my way through life.

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